


Flight Into Egypt 3: Making a Life

by Vickiemoseley



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 19:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16290041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vickiemoseley/pseuds/Vickiemoseley
Summary: 3rd installment of the Flight into Egypt





	Flight Into Egypt 3: Making a Life

**Author's Note:**

> Posted previously on my website and Gossamer

Title: Flight Into Egypt 3: Making a Life   
Author: Vickie Moseley  
Summary: 3rd installment of the Flight into Egypt   
series. Set post The Truth.  
Spoilers: All of seasons 8 and 9 especially The   
Truth.  
Rating: PG  
Category: Marriedfic, babyfic, A  
Archive: yes  
Disclaimer: I'm just doing this because I know 1013   
never could. I'm not infringing on their copyright,   
I'm improving their image.  
Series history: Flight into Egypt, Making a Home,   
Making a Life. If you want to read them in order, it   
might make more sense.  
Comments: I love feedback. Bring it on!  
vickiemoseley1978@yahoo.com

Flight Into Egypt 3: Making a Life  
By Vickie Moseley

Mt. Airy, Montana  
July 17, 2002

She'd seen the building a dozen times, every time   
they went to the Superwalmart store in Mt. Airy. It   
sat there, right across the street, red brick and   
smallish, white trimmed windows and stained glass.

Every time she saw it, it made her ache. No, itch   
was more like it. It made her itch to push open the   
heavy wooden door, walk down the aisle, slide into a   
pew and cry. Cry with relief, cry with loss, cry   
with gratitude.

William was down for a morning nap, which appeared to   
be his only nap of the day and Mulder had been deeply   
engrossed in a website he'd located that morning when   
she discovered they were almost out of bread and   
nearing lunch. She told him she was going to make a   
quick run to Mt. Airy and pick up a few things.   
Usually they went everywhere together and that's how   
she liked it. She still couldn't bring herself to   
believe that they were finally together again after   
all their recent separations. She woke up even after   
a month in their new home, expecting to see her old   
bedroom, to find the other side of her bed empty.   
Then Mulder would roll over, grab her pillow as his   
own and mumble something unintelligible as he drooled   
on their sheets and she'd smile. They were home,   
truly home.

But seeing that little brick building always reminded   
her. She wasn't really home, not yet.

Her mind kept wandering back to their conversation in   
the motel in Roswell. Back to the day she thought it   
would be just the two of them, running for the rest   
of their lives. Never daring to stay anywhere, never   
putting down roots of any kind. Lonely, but   
together. She had been ready to accept that. She   
was so focused on accepting their fate she almost   
overlooked his words when he pulled her chain from   
her neck and fingered the gold cross that lay at her   
throat.

"I want to believe that the dead are not lost to us.   
That they speak to us as part of something greater   
than us-- greater than any alien force. And if you   
and I are powerless now, I want to believe that if we   
listen to what's speaking, it can give us the power   
to save ourselves."

Mulder, speaking of greater powers. It must have   
been an X file. She smiled briefly, but the building   
in front of her dragged her back from her musings.   
She glanced at the grocery sacks in the back seat.   
Bread, a box of teething crackers, even though Mulder   
had forbidden their consumption in the office after   
the horrible stuck keyboard incident of two weeks   
ago. A six-pack of diet Coke and another of Snapple   
iced tea. Nothing there that wouldn't keep a few   
minutes.

The power to save themselves. She'd always believed   
any power greater than herself resided in her heart,   
not in some building. But the comfort of the   
surroundings were important to her and she'd been   
feeling it more and more as they settled into a   
routine, put down those first tentative roots.

She drew in a deep breath and opened the car door.   
It only took a minute to walk across the street and   
up the steps. She stopped again with her hand on the   
big brass handle. She could go back to the car.   
Anyone passing by would think she'd found the door   
locked. It wouldn't look suspicious and she was very   
conscious of never looking suspicious, always   
blending in, but even that was growing easier each   
day. 

She was just about to turn around, when the door   
tugged free from her grasp and she found herself face   
to face with an elderly gentleman in a black collared   
shirt and black slacks. His smile was genuine and   
gentle as he looked her up and down and then around   
her.

"I don't suppose you're the furnace repair . . .   
person?" he asked hesitantly.

Scully shook her head and smiled. "No, Father, I was   
just . . ."

"Oh, you're the woman who just moved to Alexandria!   
I remember seeing you and your husband and the baby   
in the hardware store the other night." At Scully's   
wide-eyed look, he hastened on. "I don't mean to   
intrude, but you have the map of Ireland all over   
your face and the baby is so cute. Now, I'm Father   
Daley, what can I do for you?"

He already seemed to know a little about their cover   
story and didn't seem to find anything odd about it.   
Scully decided there would be no harm in her   
inquiries.

"I was wondering about the schedule of Masses on   
Sunday," she said with a shy smile.

The priest grinned broadly. "Ah, yes. Well, here,   
let me give you a bulletin, it has the Sunday   
schedule and confessions on Saturday." He led her   
into the dark vestibule, and then into the church lit   
only with the colored sunlight coming from the   
stained glass windows. He picked up a folded paper   
from the table at the back of the rows of pews.   
"Here's our most recent bulletin. The ladies of the   
parish are working on the annual Parish Picnic, if   
you're interested. You can call the number listed,   
they'd be more than happy to have the help."

There was another pounding on the front door. "I'm   
betting that's the furnace repairperson. It's an old   
furnace we have to baby it all summer to get it   
working properly in the fall and winter," he said   
with a roll of his eyes. "If you'll excuse me?"

"Of course, Father, please, go ahead," she waved him   
toward the door. "I'd just like to . . ."

He nodded in understanding. "Take all the time you   
like." He took a step and then turned back to her.   
"Excuse me, but what is your name?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm Dana Hale," she said, and was surprised at   
how easily the last name came to her tongue.

"Dana. Well, it's very nice to meet you and welcome   
to St. Jude's," Father said with a wink as he turned   
to answer the pounding that had started up again.

Scully held her breath for a moment. St. Jude,   
Patron saint of law enforcement, but more commonly   
known as the patron of lost causes. Yes, she felt   
she'd come to the right place.

She walked down the aisle and knelt in front of the   
statute of Mary. Votive candle were lined up   
surrounding the statute and there was a small nosegay   
of tiny pink roses at the Virgin's feet. Scully dug   
in her purse and found a few coins, dropping them in   
the collection box before picking up a match and   
lighting a candle.

"Watch over Mom for me, Blessed Mother," she   
whispered. She bowed her head and then a thought   
struck her and she reached into her purse again and   
this time pulled out a couple of bills. She lit two   
more candles and smiled up at the statute. "Better   
include Mulder and William in that, too, please," she   
added.

Feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted from her   
shoulders, she walked out of the church, got in the   
car and headed for home.

8:15 pm

Mulder had insisted they grill dinner out on his   
newest toy, a double burner propane gas grill with   
additional burner and optional rotisserie. Scully   
was convinced she's unleashed a monster the minute   
Mulder discovered the 'lawn, garden and backyard   
barbecue' department at the Superwalmart. He was   
like a kid in a candy store. But the days were still   
long, especially given their current latitude and   
William loved being in the outdoors. His little face   
just beamed when the door was opened and he was   
allowed his freedom to roam the porch and yard, under   
close supervision, of course.

Scully had cleared away the dinner dishes and was   
just giving herself a moment to relax in the cool   
breeze of the late summer day. A very sleepy little   
boy climbed up on her lap as she sat on the chaise   
lounge and watched the last rays of the sun paint the   
clouds crowning the mountain. Mulder had dubbed the   
mountain 'the old man' and she thought it fit nicely.   
It felt like a guardian, watching over them,   
protecting them from harm. It made her feel safe and   
she was growing to love it more and more each day.

"Time for stories," she told William as he curled on   
her stomach. He wasn't nursing any more; he'd weaned   
himself after a couple of weeks. Although she'd   
loved the closeness and the connection nursing him   
gave them both, she realized he was old enough to get   
the majority of his nourishment from solid foods and   
fortified supplements. She mentally decided she   
would let him decide and when he started reaching for   
his cup more than her shirt buttons, she knew it was   
time. But that just meant a new ritual had to be   
devised for bedtime and Mulder had come up with   
'story hour'.

Mulder stood up and stretched, bones cracking with   
alarming loudness.

"We need to get you a better chair in the office,"   
Scully told him, handing him the sleepy child.

"I need a better body, but I think that's a few   
medical miracles away," he countered and hefted   
William to his shoulders. "You'll keep your old Dad   
young, won't you, big guy?"

William, anxious to be included, pounded his tiny   
fists on Mulder's head. "Dadda. Momma. Da Da Da."

"And who are you?" Scully asked teasingly, reaching   
up to poke his chubby belly where his shirt was   
riding up.

"Wee um," came the proud response. 

"That's absolutely right. William. And it's time   
for William to get his bath and get ready for Daddy   
to read to him," Mulder said, making the deft   
maneuver of taking the child off his shoulders and   
into his arms as if they were in a circus act.

"Daddy likes to give Mommy gray hairs," Scully   
muttered just a few steps behind them.

"Which is why Daddy pays so much for that stuff that   
makes Mommy's hair all pretty again," Mulder shot   
back.

"You know, Daddy, Mommy can still put you in a choke   
hold," she volleyed back.

"Oooh, can we wait till somebody is asleep to test   
that theory?" was the eager reply.

Pat the Bunny was the current favorite but Bob the   
Builder and the Lost Hammer was coming on strong. By   
Dinosaur's Binket, the battle was all but lost and   
Mulder leaned over to kiss William's forehead above   
his little fist scrubbing at his eye. Scully sat   
down on the edge of the bed and folded the little   
hands together in hers, and bowed her head.

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul   
to keep. Bless me, Jesus, through the night and wake   
me with the morning light." She kissed both closed   
eyes and then the button nose, turned the light down   
to nightlight and quietly left the room.

She was immediately engulfed in a bear hug from   
behind and dragged into their bedroom. Before she   
could say a word, the door was shut and she was   
smothered with kisses.

"You . . . promised . . . a chokehold," Mulder   
informed her between kisses.

"That I did," she agreed and pulled him toward the   
bed.

Later they were snuggled in each other's arms, he was   
drifting off to sleep, when she decided to bring up   
the topic.

"I stopped by the church today," she said casually,   
stroking the hair on his chest.

He shifted a little, so he could look at her.   
"Church? What church?"

"The little Catholic Church across from the grocery   
store," she said, poking him lightly in the stomach.

He furrowed his brow, trying to place it. "The red   
brick building?" At her nod, he thought some more.   
"St. Jude's, right?"

She looked at him in amazement. "Yeah, St. Jude's."

He smiled and continued. "Patron saint of cops. And   
lost causes." At her surprised look, his smile got   
brighter. "What, you've never seen the movie 'The   
Untouchables'?"

She was mulling that over when he wrapped his arms   
about her waist and squeezed. "So, you just dropped   
by to say 'hi'?" he asked jokingly.

She had to smile at that. "Sort of. I met the   
priest. Father Daley. And I got the schedule of   
Masses," she said quietly.

They were silent for a moment and she could hear his   
heat beating in his chest. She realized that they   
were even breathing in tandem. She was just about to   
drift off to sleep when Mulder made a noise that   
rumbled in his chest. 

"I want William to have that."

It took her a minute to realize what he was talking   
about.

"You want me to take him to church?"

Mulder nodded. "Yeah. You two can go next Sunday.   
I mean, unless you think he'd be better off with me   
in the Superwalmart. If you think he'll disrupt the   
service . . ."

"Mulder, if it's one thing Catholics are used to,   
it's little kids disrupting the service. Most   
churches are equipped with special cry rooms just for   
that purpose," she said and felt relaxed for the   
first time during their conversation. 

Sunday came quickly and Scully seemed inordinately   
excited, getting William dressed and ready for their   
first excursion to church. She'd admitted to Mulder   
that her attendance at Mass had dropped off   
dramatically in the weeks after she'd place William   
for adoption, that she just couldn't think of   
anything to say to God except to pray each night that   
her son and the man she loved were safe and wouldn't   
forget her. Shyly, she also told Mulder how much she   
prayed that he would come to forgive her for what   
she'd been forced to do to keep their baby safe. He   
took her in his arms and hugged her close, reassuring   
her that he felt just as guilty as she did in the   
measures she was forced to take. He wished he'd been   
with her when she was faced with the decision.

She asked him once, and only once, if he would like   
to join them at church. He'd been fairly   
noncommittal, only mentioning that he'd probably fair   
better at the store across the street checking out   
gas powered weed eaters to get at the encroaching   
underbrush that was surrounding their yard. She'd   
left it at that, but he could see the disappointment   
and then the acceptance in her eyes.

The drive to town was bright and sunny. William sat   
happily singing to himself in his car seat, both his   
parents exchanging amused looks as his song sounded a   
bit off key.

"Those Scully genes are showing again," Mulder   
remarked mildly and got a sock in the arm for it.

Mulder pulled the car into the church parking lot and   
cut off the engine. Scully sat beside him, watching   
couples and families with children walk up the same   
steps she'd walked up just days before. He sensed her   
apprehension.

"Are you OK? Are you afraid of something, Dana? Talk   
to me," he prodded, taking her hand.

She smiled, still looking out the window. He'd   
started using her first name whenever they were in   
town, among people. Only in their bedroom did they   
call each other by their old names now. In front of   
William they always seemed to refer to each other as   
'mommy' or 'daddy'. She couldn't help feeling just a   
little melancholy for their old names.

"Dana?" he asked again.

She bit her lip and turned to him. "I'm fine." At his   
narrowed glare, she grinned at him. "Really, I'm   
fine," she said lightly and turned toward William in   
the back seat. "Let's go, William, we don't want to   
keep Daddy out in the parking lot when he could be   
stalking weedwhackers," she teased.

William clapped whenever his name was mentioned and   
this was no exception. Scully got out of the car and   
reached into the back seat to extract him from his   
carrier. She grabbed the diaper bag one-handed and   
settled it on her shoulder. Flashing Mulder one more   
reassuring look, she headed off toward the church.

Mulder watched them as they entered the heavy wooden   
doors. Other parishioners moved out of the way,   
smiled pleasantly at the cute little baby in the   
small woman's arms and held the door open for them.   
The doors closed and he was left in the parking lot,   
alone.

The church seemed brighter with the candles lit and   
morning sunlight streaming in through the stained   
glass windows. Scully found a seat in the rear, close   
to the cry room if she needed to escape there. It had   
been a while since she'd gone to church with William   
and in the past, her mother had always been with   
them. She wasn't worried that she couldn't handle   
being there alone with him, but at the same time she   
found herself scanning the crowd of worshippers,   
trying to pick up any danger she might detect.

She shook her head. Old habits certainly died hard.   
But then, she had no doubt that even in their idyllic   
setting under 'the old man', they still could find   
their former lives coming back to haunt or even   
destroy them. She swallowed hard and hugged William   
tighter to her. The Mass started with a song and she   
rose to her feet to join in the chorus with everyone   
else.

William was good while everyone was standing. He   
could see all the people and a man behind him started   
up a game of 'peek-a-boo'. William hid behind Scully   
whenever it was his turn to hide and giggled happily   
at the silly man. When they had to sit down again, he   
couldn't see the man as easily and soon grew bored.

The first distraction he could find was his mother's   
slip strap. Her shirtdress was unbuttoned at the top   
button and the tiny strip of silk proved to be just   
too enticing for the one year old. He plucked and   
pulled at the collar in an effort to expose more of   
the white silk material. Scully promptly shifted him   
to her other hip and turned him toward the altar,   
facing front. He soon discovered the red covered   
hymnals in the holders on the back of the pew before   
them. He leaned over, almost toppling off his perch   
on her lap to reach the book, which he finally   
snatched up and stuck in his mouth. Horrified, Scully   
withdrew the now wet book from her son's mouth, wiped   
it hastily with the hem of her skirt and placed in   
another holder, out of William's reach. They were   
only through the first reading, they had two more   
readings left to go.

In desperation, Scully found William's most recent   
favorite toy, a set of plastic keys on a ring. He   
loved chewing on the ridges while cutting his latest   
new tooth. With a squeal of delight that caused his   
mother to wince, he plucked up the keys and stuck   
them in his mouth, smiling and drooling through the   
next reading.

The Gospel acclamation started and without warning,   
William let out an ear-shattering shriek. Scully   
turned beet red and started for the aisle, screaming   
child kicking a fit in her arms. A gentle hand on her   
shoulder stopped her. She looked up into Mulder's   
eyes.

"Let me take him a while," he whispered and lifted   
the baby from her arms. Immediately upon seeing his   
father, William stopped his tirade and started   
playing with his father's ears. Mulder grinned at the   
boy, then at Scully and nodded for her to scoot over   
so they could both stand in the pew together.

After the Gospel, everyone was seated for the homily   
and Scully's curiosity couldn't be ignored any   
longer. "What are you doing here?" she asked in as   
quiet a voice as she thought she could manage and   
still be heard.

"This is what family men do, isn't it?" he shot back.   
When she started to question him again, he shushed   
her and directed her attention toward the priest on   
the altar.

Amazingly enough, except for a short bout of   
'bouncing baby' when William couldn't decide who he   
wanted to hold him during the Our Father, the rest of   
Mass passed in relative peace. Scully was grateful   
that Mulder had come, regardless of his reasons,   
especially at Communion when he even walked up the   
aisle with her but politely stepped aside as she   
received the sacrament, just to keep William from   
calling out for her while she was gone from the pew.   
As the last song was ending, they both heaved sighs   
of relief.

"He is adorable!" said a voice to their left. "May I   
hold him?" Scully looked over and saw woman about her   
height, just a few years old, holding her arms out to   
William, who was reaching out to her as well.   
Scully's gut tightened, and she looked quickly at   
Mulder who just shrugged his shoulder. After a second   
of indecision, she handed the baby to the woman to   
hold.

"Oh, Geez, now you've done it," said a man a little   
taller than Mulder and easily 100 pounds heavier. 

"Oh, hush, you!" shot back the woman as she cooed   
over William, rocking him back and forth with   
practiced ease.

"Joe Hawthorne," the man said, sticking out his hand   
to Mulder and then to Scully. "The baby snatcher is   
my wife Mary C. And now, I'm in for another one," he   
added with a note of sarcasm.

"I hate to tell you this, sport, but *s-e-x* causes   
babies, not me holding them," Mary C. informed her   
husband dryly.

"Yeah well, how come we've had s-e-x more times than   
number of children we have?" Joe tossed back at her.

"Ignore him," she told the younger couple. "So,   
what's his name? And your names, too, of course."

"I'm Dana Hale, this is my husband Ellery and this is   
our son, William," Scully said casually. Mulder   
beamed at her.

"Are you on vacation or have you moved here?" Mary C.   
asked, but her attention seemed to be completely on   
William.

"M.C. was a census taker in 2000. We haven't been   
able to convince her she's out of work for another 8   
years," Joe explained and got a well-executed kick in   
the shins for his effort.

"We just moved near Alexandria," Mulder answered. His   
first instinct was that he liked this couple. He was   
anxious to see if Scully felt the same. They seemed   
honest, direct and openly friendly.

"Oh, Millie said a couple had moved into Jimmy's old   
place outside Alexandria. You must be them," Mary C.   
said happily. "Well, welcome to St. Jude's. You're   
staying for coffee and donuts, aren't you?"

A quick exchange of looks and Mulder nodded in   
acceptance. "We'd love to."

A young girl about 16 years old came storming up the   
aisle toward them. "Mom, Stephen just dumped my   
entire purse out into the holy water font!" she said,   
fists on hips. "Ooh, cute baby," she beamed at   
William in her mother's arms.

"Oh, Christ," Joe muttered and Mary C. immediately   
elbowed him in the gut. "Sorry," he nodded to the   
Hales in apology.

"So, Mom, can I kill Stephen? I promise to make it   
bloodless," the girl said with a feral grin. Mary C.   
rolled her eyes and handed William back to Scully.

"I better go handle this to avoid murder charges.   
Joe, if you can keep the profanity to a bare minimum   
please show the Hales to the church basement and get   
them a cup of coffee?" Mary C. asked with a 'you   
better do it or die trying' glare.

"Sure thing," Joe nodded and assumed command while   
Mary C. marched off to find the suspect soon to be   
victim. Joe turned to the girl. "Megan, go collect   
the boys off the altar and absolutely no killings in   
the sanctuary. You have to wait till the ride home.   
And only one donut a piece, Father almost sent me a   
bill for the last time."

"So, how many kids do you have?" Mulder asked amiably   
as they followed the crowd of people to the front of   
the church and down a hallway. Out of the corner of   
his eye he saw the young girl Megan talking to two   
red headed boys about 14 and 12 years of age if he   
had to guess.

"Six, total. Until M. C. gets her mitts on young   
William. Then in ten months, mark my words, we'll   
have seven," Joe heaved a mock disheartened sigh with   
a shake of his head. "Our oldest is in the Marines,   
2nd Marines, 2nd Division out of Camp LeJeune."

Mulder stiffened and Joe nodded in understanding. "I   
know. I was a peacenik, too, in the old days. Sat on   
a train car with a big ole sign saying 'Nix on Nixon'   
when Jerry Ford came through our town. But what can   
you do, kids will do what they want to do no matter   
what you say. You'll find that out when this one gets   
older," he said, ruffling William's baby fine hair.

They made their way down to the basement and found it   
filled with other parishioners. "Daly's the best   
pastor we've had. We went through a slew of them for   
a while, there. But he's been here almost ten years.   
I think he'll probably stay till they retire him,"   
Joe continued to make small talk.

"So, what do you do, Ellery?" he asked as he steered   
them toward the line for coffee and donuts.

"I'm a writer," Mulder said juggling William to his   
other hip so he could take the cup offered by an   
elderly woman who smiled at him.

"Mystery? I love a good mystery. Wouldn't be one of   
those horror writers like Stephen King, would ya?"   
Joe asked with excitement.

Mulder shook his head in amusement. "No, technical   
writer, I'm afraid. Journal articles mostly."

"Ellery is a psychologist," Scully explained as she   
took her own cup and lifted Mulder's out of his hand   
before he spilled it on the baby and himself.

"No way!" Joe exclaimed. "A shrink? Cool! Boy, this   
town could use one of those, believe you me! I'm the   
local satellite TV dealer. Biggest selection in the   
county," he said proudly. He spied an empty table   
near the back of the room and led them to it.

Mary C. arrived just as they were sitting down.   
"Megan took the boys over to Walmart, they'll meet us   
at the car in half an hour," she said, stealing a sip   
of Joe's coffee as she sat down. "She wants us to buy   
her new make-up." 

"Like hell I will," Joe shouted and then shrank down   
at the numerous stares he received. "I didn't want   
her using the damned make-up to start with. You're   
the one who wanted a girl, M.C. You have to put a   
stop to this," he growled.

"We'll talk on the way home," she assured him and   
then turned to the couple across the table. In   
minutes Scully and M.C. were discussing child rearing   
and Joe and Mulder were going over the possible   
advantages of installing a satellite dish. Before   
they knew it, they were among the last people left in   
the basement. Father Daly finished helping the ladies   
in the kitchen and came over to join them.

"Well, I was hoping you four would hook up. Joe and   
Mary are the closest we have to a Welcome Wagon," the   
old priest said, patting Joe on the back. 

"I think I've got Dana convinced to help me on the   
parish picnic committee," Mary said with a grin.

"And I think Ellery here will appreciate being able   
to get in those Knicks games this winter, once I get   
the dish installed," Joe added with a wink.

"A match made in heaven," Fr. Daly said with a roll   
of his eyes. "I hate to break this up, but I need to   
clear the place out. The Over 55 club is holding a   
tea dance in about two hours, and the decorating   
committee is anxious to get started." He waved to a   
group of silver haired ladies with armloads of silk   
flowers over at the doorway.

They exchanged phone numbers as they left the church,   
each family heading off to their respective cars, the   
last in the parking lot.

Mulder chewed on his lip but plastered on a smile and   
waved to Joe as the Ford Econoline van drove past.

"You're thinking we shouldn't have done that," Scully   
said with a sigh. "We shouldn't get that close to   
anyone. It could ruin our cover, make it easier for   
anyone to find us." All the time she was talking she   
was buckling William into the back seat, then walked   
around the car to her own seat in the front. "I know   
it was foolish . . ."

"Dana, stop it. Listen to yourself. Is that how you   
think I want to live? Hiding out for the rest of our   
lives, raising William like a hermit? That's a pretty   
boring life for him, isn't it?"

They were in the car, neither of them too interested   
in shopping for the day. Scully watched the town of   
Mt. Airy pass them by and open up into the gorgeous   
scenery of the mountains surrounding it. "No, it's   
not what I would choose for William, but I don't want   
to get him back just to lose him again. I've tried   
blending in, I've tried being a part of society. It   
didn't work, they found me rather easily." The sound   
of her voice was brittle with bitter resentment.

He thought over his words carefully before he said   
them. "I know, Scully. But you were in DC, right   
under their noses. And although you had plenty of   
people around you . . ." he stopped short of saying   
the obvious, that he wasn't there.

"So you think getting to know people out here will be   
OK?" she asked fearfully.

He nodded. "I think we have to. I think hiding up I   
the mountains will only cause suspicion. I think   
getting involved will provide even better cover. And   
I got to thinking. There's probably a lot I could do   
with a satellite dish hook up."

"You mean _besides_ watch the Knicks live?" she asked   
sweetly.

He feigned surprise. "Dana, you wound me!" he said   
putting a hand over his heart. Then he smiled at her.   
"I think we'll be all right. And it will be better   
for our sanity. The Hawthornes seem like nice people.   
All of the people we met today seemed like nice   
people. We have to trust in that, at least a little."

"Why did you suddenly come to the church? You were   
headed across the street," she remembered.

He shrugged and blushed. "I just didn't want to be   
alone. I didn't want you to be alone in the church.   
And actually, juggling the big guy, seeing you so   
happy there, it made me feel good. Isn't that the   
bottom line of religion? The opiate of the masses?"   
he asked playfully.

She shook her head. "So we do this. This isn't play   
acting anymore."

He took her hand and squeezed. "I'd say we stopped   
play acting a long time ago," he said solemnly. "This   
is it. We're making a life. We can't stop being   
cautious and we can't contact our old lives, but we   
can make a new one."

"We're always better together," she said with a   
smile.

"Always have been, always will be," he agreed.

She gave him a quick kiss. "Then I better start   
looking for a summer salad recipe that can be made in   
mass quantities. I'm in charge of that for the parish   
picnic."

The end


End file.
